Etihad Airways has pushed up the schedule of its planned A380 service between Abu Dhabi and New York JFK.
Originally slated for a December 1 launch, the Gulf carrier will instead begin deploying the superjumbo to the Big Apple from November 23.
Higher than expected demand has been attributed as the reason for the earlier launch, and this is likely due to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Thanksgiving holiday season.
Etihad Airways currently serves New York with a twice-daily B777-300ER service. The A380 will replace one of these, with flight EY103 departing Abu Dhabi at 0320 and arriving in New York at 0910. The return service on flight EY102 will then take off from New York at 1430 and touch back down in Abu Dhabi at 1215 the following day.
The Residence
The superjumbo has a total capacity for 498 passengers, with 417 in economy, 70 in business class, nine in first and up to two in The Residence, the airline’s ultra-luxurious three-room suite.
Etihad chief executive James Hogan said: "The overwhelmingly positive response we have received to our A380 service on our Abu Dhabi to London and Sydney routes, as well as for our upcoming launch to New York, has exceeded our expectations.
"With the early introduction of our A380 service into New York, we look forward to further redefining what world class air travel can be for our guests travelling on Etihad Airways across all classes of service."
For more information, visit etihad.com
Clement Huang
